


This Is Home

by MerylAM573



Category: THE iDOLM@STER
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horror, Gen, and when i say that i mean it, most of the charas are ooc for Reasons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:15:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22619962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerylAM573/pseuds/MerylAM573
Summary: Warmth. Warmth was Azusa's favorite feeling in the whole world. Even though her world was often stuffy and closed in, she would always feel that same warmth every single day, and it would never get old to her. Nothing would ever get in the way of her and her dear family of 11 wandering subjects (including herself) at an awful facility. No matter what happened, they would always be together, spreading warmth to one another each and every day. Soon enough, this family of hers gains a 12th member, who survived a tragic incident many months ago. Just who could this 12th subject be, and just how are they alive?
Relationships: Aoi Kyousuke&Aoi Yuusuke, Hazama Michio&Mizutani Eri, Iseya Shiki&Sakaki Natsuki, Minase Iori&Mizutani Eri, Mizutani Eri&Hoshii Miki&Hidaka Ai, Tanaka Kotoha&Handa Roco&Asselin BB II, Yamashita Jiro&Miura Azusa
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	This Is Home

**Author's Note:**

> like it says in the tags this is a horror au, but this isnt specifically supposed to be scary. its supposed to be Warm and Somft. like mash potatoes.  
> and also like it says in the tags, many charas are OOC, but not like. gross or fetishy or whatever idk man  
> so if you notice that some of the charas (eris the best example) are acting different, its because of the circumstances theyre in, not bc i dont know how to write the chara. look at my ds drabbleworks, i know how to write eri, i promise agdbdbsbsn

Warmth. Warmth was the first thing Azusa felt as she awoke in the morning. Warmth was the thing that kept her going. Warmth was what belonged to 10 other people, the same as her. She was their warmth, as they were hers. It was an unspoken appreciation for one another, but it always lingered in the cold, stuffy air. Because it was a form of heat, it made this rubble covered former wing much more bearable to be in. Still, yet again, Azusa was the first to awaken from her slumber. The others were still fast asleep, they ranged from children to adults like herself. They meant the world to her and more. If only she knew how to express it to them properly.

Slowly, the others would all wake up as well, no longer leaving her alone with her thoughts. First was Shiki, a young man who's mouth was taped shut due to a power that made him release unholy screeches whenever his mouth simply opened. Next was Roco, a sweet girl who had supposedly gone from artist to art, with paint rushing from one of her eyes. Then came both Yusuke and Kyosuke, a pair of twins that were both very mangled in one way or another, one unable to see the other, and the other unable to hear them. Asselin, a terrified man who was horribly broken by a past escape attempt, awoke with a shout from a nightmare, waking up Eri, a rude and angry girl who used to be incredibly timid, who promptly yelled at him.

That was it for a little while, but Azusa was sure the remainder would soon wake up too. Like Natsuki, a boy who was unfortunately invisible, but still translated for his friend Shiki, whom he escaped with. Then came Kotoha, a former perfect subject that failed and has begun to hallucinate due to her anxieties and suffering. The next person was Michio, Azusa's former subject, that was now traumatized and horribly broken after she left him. Eri was the one to wake him up. But finally, the perpetually last to awake was Jiro, Eri's former scientist. He was Azusa's favorite. Jiro had powers with poison, which proved very useful at times. He was the first person she met when she first escaped her scientist, and she's been attached to him ever since.

Everyone was finally awake now, and although the air of the wing was tense, the air surrounding Azusa and the other wandering subjects was warm and loose. It was refreshing from the usual stuffiness, and a very welcome change. However, they found themselves wondering if the outside world's air could get even better than this. They truly hoped that was so. Although there was only one way to find out. One day they'd escape, and then they would finally learn.

"Azusa?" Someone spoke up finally. It was Kyosuke. His speech was odd sounding due to being hard of hearing. He thankfully wasn't fully deaf, but voices were muffled and hard to understand without reading a person's lips.  
"Is everything alright?" Azusa asked, speaking slowly enough for him to understand.  
"Yeah... I was just wondering... what kind of powers do you have?" The poor boy was still getting used to speaking without being able to hear himself properly, but he started fairly strong even so.  
"That does remind me... I don't think we all know each other's powers just yet, do we? We must fix that, don't you think?" Azusa gave a eureka pose as she smiled at the younger boy.  
"O-oh, uh... okay?" He seemed somewhat stunned, but happy nonetheless.

"Everyone! Gather around! To start off our morning, we'll be sharing what powers we have!" She shouted out with a bright smile, making everyone crowd around her. She captivated the other wandering subjects, but she had no idea how. Was it her looks? Her personality? Why did it matter, anyway? It shouldn't. Even so, Azusa explained to the group as she sat down in the very convenient circle what she wanted everyone to do. They'd take turns to speak about their powers, if they had any. According to Jiro, it was better than talking about dragon coochie all day. He just doesn't appreciate comedy, does he?

"Who'd like to go first?" Azusa asked, and Shiki raised his hand. She nodded in approval. He let out a series of muffled grunts that had a hint of a smile in them.  
"He says... he has a power... that makes him let out... a supersonic scream..." Natsuki spoke up, translating for his friend.  
"I'm... invisible... that's about it..." He then went to himself. The next few were Eri, Michio, Yusuke, and Kyosuke.  
"Ice. Your turn."  
"I-I-I am a h-h-hea-healing singer and... able t-t-to utilise e-e-elements w-with my e-emotions... t-to you, Yusuke."  
"I don't have any, 'cause my eyes are all gone!" Yusuke laughed sadly with a broken grin as he spoke.  
"I can jump high, if that counts for anything?" Kyosuke tilted his head a little. The room went nearly silent for a short moment as Yusuke continued to laugh in the background.

"Of course it counts! Okay, who's next?" But Azusa made him stop by simply speaking, waiting for someone else to speak up in the group. The next was Asselin, sitting right next to Kyosuke.  
"Alas... I only have power without this cursed device covering my face... it is simply my punishment for disobeying Satan's will..." Asselin spoke up softly, with somewhat of a strong tone to it as well.  
"I can fence...? I also have quick reflexes if these are really powers." Kotoha followed suit after, speaking nervously.  
"Roco was supposed to have camouflage powers, but now Roco's just a walking paint can..." Roco sighed. She never liked being this way.  
"I puke chemicals, it kinda hurts but what can you do?" Jiro laughed dryly, shrugging before looking finally to Azusa.  
"Right! How about I show you all my powers?" She winked before getting up and facing away from everyone.

Focus now, Azusa. If you can destroy this rubble here, maybe you'll get everyone a new place to go! Not only that, but you'll finally be able to show off this lovely power of yours! She thought to herself, focusing with all her might on her power and her power alone. Maybe she could seem cool by shouting a spell from a movie about wizards she saw! Perfect! Alright, Azusa. Make the rubble explode...!  
"BOMBARDA MAXIMA!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, as black mist surrounded the rubble, before blowing it to smithereens. The area was cleared!

"Since when were you into Harry Potter?" Eri asked, raising her eyebrow.  
"Since forever, my dear! Impressive though, isn't it?"  
"I guess. We have more space now, so I guess it's good." She shrugged before flying into the new area of the wing.  
"Eri! W-w-wa-wait!" Michio stammered before running after her.  
"Come along, everyone! Let's explore!" Azusa laughed as she too ran through the new corridor, using her wings as a way to make herself go faster. The perks of being young... Jiro thought before taking a stroll through as well.

The new area was somewhat dark and damp. Jiro assumed it was the place where the real accident that gave the wandering subjects their home took place. Maybe they'd find an escape route from here? Probably not, but it was nice to dream. The further he wandered in, he began to realize that there was some sort of sound coming through this new corridor. It sounded like crying and coughing. Just what the hell was it? It couldn't be one of the wanderers, none of them sounded like this! It definitely couldn't be a survivor of the accident, everyone who was involved had died! But... could there be a survivor?

Still, the sounds got louder as Jiro kept walking. Was he getting closer to the source? Or was he just going insane? That seemed more likely. Still, he had to make sure.  
"Hello...?" He shouted out, looking around him.  
"H...help...! He...lp... m...e...!" The voice was talking now. It sounded young, but nothing like that of Eri. This one sounded younger, but not by much.  
"Where are you?!" He found himself getting concerned for the voice now.  
"I'm... r...ight beh...ind... y...ou! I...n... th...e r...ub...ble! Pl...ea...se... h...elp!" As the voice spoke, Jiro turned around.

There it was. The source of the noises. It was a young girl, not much younger than Eri. She was trying to crawl out from the rubble. She was stuck! Was she really a survivor of the accident? She couldn't be, right?  
"Okay, I-I'll get you out! Just... close your eyes!" Jiro said in a panic.  
"Wh... why...?"  
"It's gross. Just trust me...!" He exclaimed, channeling all of his will into this. If the right chemical came out of this, it'd hurt. But it'd be worth it. She closed her eyes, bracing whatever he was going to do. She heard him start walking closer to the rubble covering her.  
"I am so sorry..." He sighed, and...

With a pained wretch, Jiro's eyes closed shut. Out came exactly the chemical he needed to burn away this rubble. He let out a agonized scream as the substance spilled out of his mouth painfully. The girl coughed and choked at the disgusting scent. How horrid! He sobbed as he finished. It hurt so bad. Still, the rubble covering the girl melted away. She flipped herself over onto her side and gasped for air.  
"Are you okay?" Jiro asked when he went to face her again.  
"I should be... asking you the... same thing..." She chuckled.  
"I'll be fine."  
"Then yeah... I'm pretty alright..." Her voice was much less strained now, since she could breathe and all now.

"What's your name?" Jiro began pushing off any extra rubble left, keeping her legs from moving too.  
"Subject Memory... but my real name... is Iori Minase..." This Iori girl still gasped for air as she spoke. Just how long was she here for?  
"Who... who are you...?" She pointed at his face.  
"Jiro Yamashita. Subject Future. I used to be a scientist, but that all went to shit at some point." He let out a dry laugh.  
"Nice to... meet you... Jiro..." She smiled, before finally trying to get up. She struggled for a few moments before sliding onto the floor. She looked surprised about it.  
"Uh... Jiro...? I can't move my legs..." She sighed in embarrassment. He immediately went and picked her up.  
"I'll carry you to the others." He looked her in the eye with a kind smile. She only nodded.

"AZUSA! HAZAMA! ERI!" Jiro shouted at the top of his lungs, making Iori grunt in pain. Immediately the three came running. Most of the others were already back at the "home base" of sorts.  
"What's wrong?!" Azusa cried.  
"What the hell'd you do this time?!" Eri groaned.  
"D-d-did you fi-find some-something?!" Michio shouted, his voice cracking.  
"I found someone! A kid! She's alive! I-I think she's from the accident!" Jiro explained in a panic.  
"Bullshit! Everyone in that accident d- oh my God. Oh my God." Eri stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the girl. Wasn't that... Yayoi's friend?  
"Hey Eri... fancy seeing... you here..." Iori chuckled as Eri stared at her.  
"...I'll take her from here!" She grabbed the girl from Jiro's arms and flew back to where everyone else was. The others all followed suit.

"Hey, assholes! Listen up! We found a survivor of the incident!" Eri shouted as she entered the base of sorts. Kotoha immediately stood up.  
"I'll contact Noa!" She exclaimed, pulling out her pager. She ran to the other side of the room to record her message and send it. In no time at all, Noa was already on the scene. She brought whatever food she could find, and a medical kit. The others were back by then.  
"What's happened?!" She asked urgently.  
"Jiro found a girl in the rubble! She seems to have survived the incident!" Azusa explained.  
"I'm... also awake..." Iori sighed.

Thankfully the entire mess was over in basically no time. Azusa had gone around in the new corridor and found a working wheelchair to sit the girl in, and Eri noticed and spread out her wings that had previously been crushed. With proper healing, Iori might be able to fly one day. The only issue now is that she unfortunately had no pants and was still starving even after having some sort of food. All she had on her body was a long sweater-like thing that she was first brought to the facility in. It used to be fluffy, but now it was dirty and matted together. Thankfully, Noa would be coming with spare clothes and more food soon.

Shiki went up to Iori, who was now sitting in her wheelchair. It wasn't the most comfortable, but it was better than rubble. He made noise at her, trying to speak.  
"He says... I'm Shiki... nice to meet you, Iori..." Natsuki then spoke up. She was startled at first, yet it was nice to talk to someone she couldn't see. Shiki groaned.  
"Sorry... Ioricchi. He calls everyone that..." Iori couldn't help but chuckle at the correction. Those two must be good friends. Shiki kind of reminded her of an old friend of hers. She wished she could tell her that she was alive. If only...

Suddenly, everyone's attention turned to Roco. She had been breathing in rapidly, but it wasn't like she was hyperventilating. She was definitely about to sneeze. Lo and behold, that's exactly what she did. The substance that came from her nose was exactly what her body leaked. Paint. Iori raised an eyebrow at it, but reminded herself that she seemed to be with outcasts from the facility. They probably did this a lot.  
"Haha! Did you see that, Asselin?! Roco can sneeze paint from a very large-" Suddenly, she sneezed again.  
"-Distance! You could make a painting with this!" She laughed as she wiped her nose.  
"S...so you can..." Asselin replied, looking somewhat surprised.

Azusa watched on to the other wanderers from afar, smiling away at them. They always made her feel at home here. Now, they had someone new to add to this odd little family! Iori looked like a very kind girl, so it was upsetting to know she was stuck in such an awful situation.  
"You've been looking at the kids for a while. Go talk to them." Jiro spoke up, patting her on the back.  
"I could do that, but I don't want to interrupt their fun. This may be home for me, but it is for them too." She smiled as she faced him.  
"I feel you. But uh... where's Eri?" He asked, looking around.  
"...Good question. She's probably off flying back to her ward again. Maybe she's going to visit Ai?"

That was partially true. Eri was going to see Ai for a little while, but not before she went to see Yayoi. She had to tell her the news! Iori was alive! She flew past any security guards by staying up by the ceiling, and using echolocation to know when one was close by to be sure she stayed quiet when doing so. Being part bat sure did have its perks! Finally, she got back to her ward, the kids ward. Yayoi better be in the meeting wing right now, or in that shitty storage closet. She didn't see her in the wing, so she had to be in the closet again.

A knock was heard on the storage closet door.  
"Yayoi, I need you right now! Come out for a second!" Someone shouted. It had to be Eri. Yayoi stood up from her seat  
"What's up? You can come in you know." Shouta sighed as she opened the door.  
"Yayoi! She's alive!" Eri cried, making Yayoi's eyes widen as big as saucers.  
"Wh-wh-wh-what?! Who's alive?!"  
"Iori! She's alive! Jiro found her in the rubble! She survived the accident!" She grabbed the girl's shoulders, smiling.  
"I... I didn't...?"  
"No! You never killed her! She misses you! She forgives you! I know she does! She's alive! I-if I can get her wings working again...!"  
"Slow down now, Eri." Asuka spoke up, a slight comforting smirk crossing her lips. Eri sighed.  
"...Right. She can't move her legs, so she can't walk to see you, and I can't carry her for very long. If I can get her wings working again, I'll try and help fly her to you." Her grip changed from shoulders to hands.  
"Th-thank you... please tell her I'm sorry...!"  
"She knows. You know how forgiving she is. Don't feel bad. I'll be off now, then." Eri smiled before walking out to fly away.  
"Wait a sec!" Daigo shouted.  
"Huh? What do you want?"  
"Send 'er our regards! Let 'er know she's welcome any time once she can fly again!" He smiled, and Eri nodded before flying off again.

While she was in the kids ward, Eri decided to pay Miki a visit before seeing Ai. She had been let out from her cell a few times now, as she was slowly becoming less of a threat. Not only that, but it seems Tamaki was around too. She rarely left her room nowadays out of embarrassment from puking on the other kids once. It made Eri a little happy to see her out and about again. Jesus, being happy really was still something she had to get used to again. It felt so gross now.  
"Eri!" Miki cried with her usual broken grin, running and grabbing the bars of her cell.  
"Hey, Miki. I see your claws are growing."  
"Mhm! They're gonna be super pretty when we get out! Miki'll paint them just like nails!" She looked genuinely happy today. She always did, but it felt like the kids ward was just a bundle of positivity today in particular. It was kinda nice in a way.

"Ah! There's a scientist!" Miki pointed behind her, and Eri flew all the way up to the ceiling in an instant before she was noticed. Turns out, there was no scientist.  
"God dammit, Miki!" Eri groaned before giving up and flying to see Ai.  
"Hey, Ai!" She shouted as she landed on the floor again.  
"Eri! How's Jiro?! Is he doing okay?!" Ai turned around, stars shining in her eyes.  
"He's fine. But... remember that Iori girl?"  
"SHE'S ALIVE?!" She screamed, making Eri fall to the floor.  
"Ow. Yeah, she's alive. She's with us now. If I could get you and Yayoi away from your scientists, I'd probably be carrying your asses to see her." Chuckling, Eri wiped the dirt off her clothes as she got up.  
"Sorry! Tell her I said hi!" Ai scratched the back of her head. With another nod like before, Eri flew off again, back to the wanderers.

"E-Eri!" Michio's face lit up as Eri returned.  
"Sup, dickwad?" She stayed up in the air to ruffle his hair. She was of few people who could touch him without him panicking due to her rough movements.  
"I-I-I heard y-you v-visited y-yo-your ward a-again. D-did you i-inform Y-Yayoi of I-Iori's s-sur-survival?" He pushed up his broken glasses on his nose.  
"Yep. She's pretty happy about it. All the kids who knew her are. Can't say I blame them." She shrugged, winking at him.  
"Speaking of which, I gotta pass on some messages to Iori."

Iori had wheeled herself over to start talking to Roco and Asselin when Eri flew to her.  
"Nice to see you, Eri!" Roco smiled, waving at the bat girl.  
"Hey. Iori, I've got some news." She landed in front of her wheelchair.  
"What did you do?" Iori mused, mocking Eri's earlier outburst when she was first found.  
"Funny. I talked to Yayoi and her friends. They know you're alive, and Yayoi says she's sorry. Daigo says you're welcome to visit any time if I can get your wings working." At that moment, Iori's eyes filled with tears.  
"Yayoi... you moron...! I already forgave you long ago...!" She clenched her fists as she fought them away.  
"That's what I told her, don't worry." Eri reassured her kindly.  
"Thanks, Eri..."  
"Of course."

A few hours had passed with everyone talking to one another in their own groups, until Azusa rounded everyone up again.  
"Come on now, everyone! I know some of you have talked to this new person already, but don't you think we should introduce each other to her, and her to us? Is that alright with you?" She looked kindly at Iori, who only nodded.  
"Lovely! Okay, my name is Azusa Miura, known as Subject Lovely. I used to be a scientist, but then I fucked up horribly! So now I'm here!" Her smile turned wicked for a moment, but directed it to herself.  
"Jiro Yamashita, Subject Future. I was a scientist too. Eri was one of my subjects." Jiro spoke up next.  
"Subject ATR-" Yusuke tried to speak-  
"Yusuke Aoi. ATR's his subject name. I'm his brother, Kyosuke Aoi. Subject Believer." -But Kyosuke spoke for him.

This went on for a little while, with everyone introducing themselves to Iori. Finally, it got to her.  
"U-um... I'm Subject Memory, but my real name is Iori Minase. I survived that incident that made this place how it is now. I kinda know this place pretty well so... if you want some help with getting around... I guess I can help...?" For some reason, she shrunk down in her chair as she spoke.  
"Heh! This world is our oyster! We can use girls like you in this!" Yusuke chimed in, talking absolute nonsense. Still, it made Iori chuckle.  
"He means he's happy you're here." Kyosuke smiled at her.

The group had stayed in one little group for a long time now, talking with one another as if they were a family. They kind of were one, in a way. Although none of them, besides Yusuke and Kyosuke, were related, they were still thick as thieves with one another. It was a closer bond than even inseperable friends could have. These bonds would always be ones that Azusa would cherish. Jiro and Eri too. The other wanderers were the warmth keeping her cold heart alive. Now, they had another member in their family, who they could keep warm just like the others.

It didn't matter how many people the warmth belonged to, because there would always be enough to share. After all, this place was their home. Their own little sanctuary, where they didn't need to worry about getting caught by security or about suffering due to horrid experiments. That pain was no more here. Azusa would make sure of that, for as long as she lived. Because...

This is home.

**Author's Note:**

> i realized i didnt post a fic this or last month so i was like "fuck fuck fuck fuck i need to post something oh god ive only written experiment au ok fine lets post that okokokok" in a dumbass panic bc my name is meryl and im a fucking dumbass!!!!  
> welp  
> hope you enjoyed anyway agdbfbdbsbbz


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